This time last year, Joe Budden had just welcomed a baby boy with his then-girlfriend, Cyn Santana, and had a public fallout with Complex and Everyday Struggle. Citing his absence was due to “internal chaos,” instead of the paternity leave they claimed, the former Slaughterhouse rapper ended 2017 as a retired rapper with a thriving podcast. 

Over the course of 2018, Joe was dubbed "the Howard Stern of hip-hop." Within a week, his eponymous podcast landed an exclusive deal with Spotify and alongside Revolt, his show, State of the Culture, was born. Unofficially, he and Cyn became relationship goals.